गणस् त्व् अप्सरसां यो वै मया राजन् प्रकीर्तितः ॥
तस्य भागः क्षितौ जज्ञे नियोगाद् वासवस्य च ॥
तानि षोडश देवीनां सहस्राणि नराधिप ॥
बभूवुर् मानुषे लोके नारायणपरिग्रहः ॥
श्रियस् तु भागः संजज्ञे रत्यर्थं पृथिवीतले ॥
द्रुपदस्य कुले कन्या वेदिमध्याद् अनिन्दिता ॥
नातिह्रस्वा न महती नीलोत्पलसुगन्धिनी ॥
पद्मायताक्षी सुश्रोणी असितायतमूर्धजा ॥
सर्वलक्षणसंपन्ना वैडूर्यमणिसंनिभा ॥
पञ्चानां पुरुषेन्द्राणां चित्तप्रमथिनी रहः ॥
सिद्धिर् धृतिश् च ये देव्यौ पञ्चानां मातरौ तु ते ॥
कुन्ती माद्री च जज्ञाते मतिस् तु सुबलात्मजा ॥
इति देवासुराणां ते गन्धर्वाप्सरसां तथा ॥
अंशावतरणं राजन् राक्षसानां च कीर्तितम् ॥
ये पृथिव्यां समुद्भूता राजानो युद्धदुर्मदाः ॥
महात्मानो यदूनां च ये जाता विपुले कुले ॥
धन्यं यशस्यं पुत्रीयम् आयुष्यं विजयावहम् ॥
इदम् अंशावतरणं श्रोतव्यम् अनसूयता ॥
अंशावतरणं श्रुत्वा देवगन्धर्वरक्षसाम् ॥
प्रभवाप्ययवित् प्राज्ञो न कृच्छ्रेष्व् अवसीदति ॥
gaṇas tv apsarasāṃ yo vai mayā rājan prakīrtitaḥ ||
tasya bhāgaḥ kṣitau jajñe niyogād vāsavasya ca ||
tāni ṣoḍaśa devīnāṃ sahasrāṇi narādhipa ||
babhūvur mānuṣe loke nārāyaṇaparigrahaḥ ||
śriyas tu bhāgaḥ saṃjajñe ratyarthaṃ pṛthivītale ||
drupadasya kule kanyā vedimadhyād aninditā ||
nātihrasvā na mahatī nīlotpalasugandhinī ||
padmāyatākṣī suśroṇī asitāyatamūrdhajā ||
sarvalakṣaṇasaṃpannā vaiḍūryamaṇisaṃnibhā ||
pañcānāṃ puruṣendrāṇāṃ cittapramathinī rahaḥ ||
siddhir dhṛtiś ca ye devyau pañcānāṃ mātarau tu te ||
kuntī mādrī ca jajñāte matis tu subalātmajā ||
iti devāsurāṇāṃ te gandharvāpsarasāṃ tathā ||
aṃśāvataraṇaṃ rājan rākṣasānāṃ ca kīrtitam ||
ye pṛthivyāṃ samudbhūtā rājāno yuddhadurmadāḥ ||
mahātmāno yadūnāṃ ca ye jātā vipule kule ||
dhanyaṃ yaśasyaṃ putrīyam āyuṣyaṃ vijayāvaham ||
idam aṃśāvataraṇaṃ śrotavyam anasūyatā ||
aṃśāvataraṇaṃ śrutvā devagandharvarakṣasām ||
prabhavāpyayavit prājño na kṛcchreṣv avasīdati ||
[That] host of apsaras which I have listed, O king — a part of it was born on earth by the command of Indra. Those sixteen thousand goddesses, O lord of men, became, in the world of men, the wives of Narayana (Krishna). And a part of Shri (Lakshmi), for the sake of [amorous] delight on earth, was born as a faultless maiden in the line of Drupada, from the midst of the [sacrificial] altar — neither too small nor too tall, fragrant [like] the blue lotus, [with] eyes [wide as] lotus petals, fair-hipped, [with] long black hair, endowed with all [auspicious] marks, resembling the vaidurya gem, secretly captivating the hearts of the five lords of men. And the two goddesses, Siddhi and Dhriti, who were the mothers of those five — they were born as Kunti and Madri; and Mati was born as the daughter of Subala (that is, Gandhari). Thus has been declared to you, O king, the descent of the portions of the gods and asuras, the gandharvas, apsaras, and rakshasas. This descent of portions, which bestows prosperity, fame, offspring, long life, and victory, should be heard without malice. Having heard this descent of portions of the gods, gandharvas, and rakshasas, the wise man, who knows the secret of the arising and passing away [of beings], does not lose heart in adversities.
0ab7111a8860 · published Jul 12, 2026, 3:37:30 PM UTC
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Here the "descent of portions" concludes with female incarnations and a fruit-promise. It is significant that Draupadi is a part of Shri-Lakshmi, the eternal consort of Vishnu: hence she is the queenly wife of the god-like heroes and close to Krishna; her afflictions (the insult in the assembly) and Krishna's protection of her take on a deep meaning — the outrage against and rescue of the very goddess of prosperity. It is significant too that Kunti and Madri are Siddhi (Accomplishment) and Dhriti (Steadfastness): the mothers of the righteous are themselves virtues. Here is the completeness of the design: both the men and the women of the drama are descended celestial powers; the whole scene is rooted in heaven. The concluding fruit-promise (phala-shruti) is profound: "one who knows the secret of arising and passing away does not lose heart in adversities" — that is, one who has understood that a higher design stands behind earthly events gains firmness before misfortune; faith in providence gives birth to courage. Thus the whole prologue (the "descent of portions") is not merely mythological background but a key to reading the epic and to reading life: to see behind suffering the design of God, and therefore not to despair.